Tens of thousands of years ago, prehistoric human hunters selectively targeted female woolly mammoths over males, according to a major genetic study of ancient fossils. This strategic preference likely provided easier hunts for ice age humans, but it may have unwittingly driven the iconic species closer to extinction.
Researchers at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm analyzed DNA from 521 mammoth specimens across Eurasia and North America, dating back 20,000 to 30,000 years. At natural death sites, such as sinkholes or tar pits where animals died naturally, 67 percent of the remains belonged to males, who often roamed alone. In contrast, at 11 ancient human encampments featuring butchered bones and stone weapon points, 70 percent of the mammoths were female.
Scientists suggest that female mammoths represented the path of least resistance for Paleolithic hunters. Adult females were smaller than males and traveled in social herds along predictable seasonal migration routes, making them far easier to locate and track. Additionally, mother mammoths likely shielded their young when threatened, making them more vulnerable to coordinated human attacks.
The team also uncovered the first known sex chromosome mutation in an extinct species: a female mammoth with a genetic condition similar to Turner's syndrome in humans. Beyond the biological discovery, researchers note that the study offers a tragic glimpse into prehistoric survival. By repeatedly hunting reproductive females, early humans likely contributed to the decline of mammoth populations without realizing they were destroying their own long-term food supply.